<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/kings-news-demar-derozan-reacts-perfect-preseason-debut');   ga('set', 'title', 'Kings’ DeMar DeRozan reacts to perfect preseason debut');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Kings-news-DeMar-DeRozan-reacts-to-perfect-preseason-debut.jpg"></figure><h1>Kings’ DeMar DeRozan reacts to perfect preseason debut</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-10T09:48:10-07:00">October 10th, 9:48am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-10T09:48:10-07:00">October 10th, 9:48am</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>DeMar <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kings-news-demar-derozan-first-bucket-in-sacramento-uniform-sparks-familiar-buzz">DeRozan suited up for the Sacramento Kings</a> for the first time in their preseason game against the Golden State Warriors. Sacramento showed DeRozan love, and there was no doubt that he felt the energy while in the arena. After the game, DeRozan spoke about his <a href="https://x.com/SeanCunningham/status/1844249041619780088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1844249041619780088%7Ctwgr%5E08663de23d8c18f98dd1e990b4becf12cda93760%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.si.com%2Fnba%2Fkings%2Fsacramento-kings-news%2Fkings-demar-derozan-reflects-on-preseason-debut" rel="noopener">first preseason game</a> with his new team.</p><p>“I don’t take any moment I ever to get play in this league for granted,” DeRozan said. “I work my butt off, and just to be appreciated and be wanted somewhere, it always feels good, especially as a competitor. To get that reception knowing it was just preseason was definitely cool.”</p><p>DeRozan finished with 15 points and shot perfectly from the field, he and said that the game felt smooth for him while he was out there.</p><p>“We’ve been working extremely hard all week and it’s been a long week of just constantly beating each other up, pushing, competing, trying to learn,” DeRozan said. “I know for me learning the offense, trying to make it easier on myself and other guys. That’s just a credit to how hard we’ve been working and get out there finally go against somebody else.”</p><h2>DeMar DeRozan set to be a big addition for Kings</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DeMar-DeRozan.jpg"><figcaption>Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Kings went out in the offseason and traded for DeMar DeRozan, and they should be a team that many should look at as a contender in the Western Conference.</p><p>Before the season, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kings-news-demar-derozan-warning-unguardable-domantas-sabonis-pairing">DeRozan talked about the pairing with him and Domantas</a> Sabonis and how it could be hard for opposing teams to match up with them.</p><p>“You can’t guard it,” DeRozan said. “That’s what I like about it, having an IQ big like that, being able to screen, pass the ball, make quick decisions. You got to make a decision. When I’m coming off, or if he’s gonna keep it, he’s gonna score it, there’s just so many options out of that. And to be able to play out of that, it makes it tough for defensive players to kind of make a decision on either one of us.”</p><p>Opposing teams will also have to worry about De’Aaron Fox, who is one of the better point guards in the league, and Keegan Murray, one of many sharpshooters that the Kings have. The hope is that the chemistry grows strong early with DeRozan and his new teammates so they can start strong. It’ll be interesting to see where the Kings stand at the end of the season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kings’ DeMar DeRozan reacts to perfect preseason debut

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/kings-news-demar-derozan-first-bucket-in-sacramento-uniform-sparks-familiar-buzz');   ga('set', 'title', 'DeMar DeRozan’s first bucket in Kings uniform sparks familiar buzz');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DeMar-DeRozans-first-bucket-in-Sacramento-uniform-sparks-familiar-buzz.jpg"></figure><h1>DeMar DeRozan’s first bucket in Kings uniform sparks familiar buzz</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-09T21:17:16-07:00">October 9th, 9:17pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-09T21:17:16-07:00">October 9th, 9:17pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After barely missing out on the 2024 NBA playoffs, the Sacramento Kings pulled off one of the biggest moves of this past offseason, bringing six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan in to bolster their De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis-led core. DeRozan might be getting up there in age (he’s already 35 years old), but he has been one of the most consistent scorers in the league over the past decade or so, which makes him a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kings-news-demar-derozan-warning-unguardable-domantas-sabonis-pairing">huge addition to the Kings roster</a> nonetheless.</p><p>During the Kings’ preseason opener against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night, DeRozan wasted no time in reminding fans why the team brought him in. One of the masters at getting to his spots, DeRozan’s first preseason bucket as a King, characteristically, was a jumpshot from 21 feet — <a href="https://twitter.com/espn/status/1844209018132132012" rel="noopener">his bread and butter</a>.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">DeMar DeRozan's first Kings bucket? </p><p>Midrange money 💰 <a href="https://t.co/0EH5X2lbcs">pic.twitter.com/0EH5X2lbcs</a></p><p>— ESPN (@espn) <a href="https://twitter.com/espn/status/1844209018132132012?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>This then sparked a buzz among Kings fans who believe that DeRozan’s connection with Sabonis in dribble handoffs will introduce a welcome new element to their offense that will be <a href="https://x.com/Valladares7B/status/1844214150391841077" rel="noopener">difficult to stop</a>, thanks to the 35-year-old’s proficiency from the midrange area.</p><p>“DeMar Derozan being an elite midrange threat off the Sabonis DHO’s is going to be such a mismatch for teams 😭,” X user @itsabestill wrote.</p><p>“Demar just automatic from the midrange,” user @MagnusSav added.</p><p>“Demar DeRozan should have the same impact for the Kings as Siakam did for the Pacers. Diversifies their offensive approach by being one of the best midrange shot creators in all of basketball,” user @Valladares7B furthered.</p><p>There was no better way for DeRozan to endear himself to Kings fans with the way he performed in the first half of their preseason clash vs. the Warriors. He made four midrange jumpers in the first quarter alone, and then he added a three-pointer, two made free throws, and a layup during the second period all while <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1844216410882572588" rel="noopener">failing to miss</a> a single attempt from the field, finishing with 15 points on 6-6 shooting from the field on the night.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">DeMar DeRozan is PERFECT from the field 🔥</p><p>He has 15 points, 6-of-6 FG, and 3-of-3 from three!!<a href="https://t.co/qUm8w4EHlb">pic.twitter.com/qUm8w4EHlb</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1844216410882572588?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Like clockwork, DeRozan continues to fill up the scoring column, which is just about <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kings-demar-derozan-reveals-hardest-part-of-changing-nba-teams">everything the Kings could ask</a> from their major offseason addition.</p><h2><b>Will DeMar DeRozan be the difference-maker for the Kings?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Kings-forward-DeMar-DeRozan-10-controls-the-ball.jpg"></figure><p>The Kings sacrificed fit for talent when they decided to jettison Harrison Barnes in the process of bringing DeMar DeRozan in via a sign-and-trade. Barnes is a much more proficient shooter from beyond the arc than DeRozan, although DeRozan simply does a lot of things on a higher level than Barnes, which is what makes the Kings’ gambit interesting.</p><p>DeRozan gives the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kings-news-demar-derozan-prediction">Kings more offensive juice</a>; he can create something out of nothing on offense, and his ability to be automatic from midrange gives the Kings a higher floor of production on offense on a nightly basis. Unlike Barnes, who tends to be invisible when his shot is off, DeRozan’s playmaking and ballhandling gives him other avenues to contribute even during off-nights.</p><p>The Kings have certainly decided to go all-in on offense with their move for DeRozan. Their offense last season fell off, especially when compared to their league-leading offense during the 2022-23 season, and bringing DeRozan in could elevate them back to where they were.</p><p>But as far as whether or not DeRozan could prove to be the piece that elevates the Kings into the title-contending picture remains to be seen. The competition in the Western Conference is as tough as ever, and the Kings will have to bring out their best every single night so they could return to being the Beam Team everyone grew to love.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

DeMar DeRozan’s first bucket in Kings uniform sparks familiar buzz

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/kings-news-demar-derozan-warning-unguardable-domantas-sabonis-pairing');   ga('set', 'title', 'DeMar DeRozan sends warning about ‘unguardable’ Domantas Sabonis pairing');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DeMar-DeRozan-sends-warning-about-unguardable-Domantas-Sabonis-pairing.jpg"></figure><h1>DeMar DeRozan sends warning about ‘unguardable’ Domantas Sabonis pairing</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-06T17:01:38-07:00">October 6th, 5:01pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-06T17:01:38-07:00">October 6th, 5:01pm</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David Yapkowitz is an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a credentialed reporter based in Los Angeles who covers the NBA/WNBA, NCAA/NCAAW and boys/girls high school basketball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After a surprising 2022-23 season, the Sacramento Kings took a step back last year, failing to make the playoffs after losing in the play-in. To help get back in the Western Conference arms race, the Kings pulled off a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kings-land-demar-derozan-in-sign-and-trade-deal">sign and trade deal with the Chicago Bulls for DeMar DeRozan</a>. With DeRozan in the fold, the Kings can play a bit of a two-man game with him and Domantas Sabonis.</p><p>During a recent media availability session, DeRozan spoke about the difficulties opposing teams will have trying to stop the pairing with Sabonis, as per Sean Cunningham of FOX 40.</p><p>“You can’t guard it,” DeRozan said. “That’s what I like about it, having an IQ big like that, being able to screen, pass the ball, make quick decisions. You got to make a decision. When I’m coming off, or if he’s gonna keep it, he’s gonna score it, there’s just so many options out of that. And to be able to play out of that, it makes it tough for defensive players to kind of make a decision on either one of us.”</p><p>Having DeMar DeRozan in the lineup gives the Kings an additional ball-handler and playmaker that they did not have last season. He is expected to slot in as the starting small forward, replacing Harrison Barnes who was dealt to the San Antonio Spurs in the same trade.</p><h2><b>Kings reloaded in the West<br></b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/The-Kings-at-media-day.jpg"><figcaption>Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>On paper, the Kings possess one of the better starting lineups in the Western Conference. De’Aaron Fox and Keon Ellis are expected to be the starting guards, DeMar DeRozan and Keegan Murray as the starting forwards and Domantas Sabonis as the Kings’ starting center.</p><p>In 2022-23, Mike Brown’s first year as head coach, the Kings finished with a top three record in the West and homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs. They were eliminated in seven games by the Golden State Warriors, but looked like they would be a force in the West for years to come.</p><p>But after last season’s disappointment, they reloaded by adding DeRozan, a proven All-Star and veteran player. Last season, DeRozan averaged 24.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.1 steals with splits of 48 percent shooting from the field, 33.3 percent shooting from the three-point line and 85.3 percent shooting from the free-throw line.</p><p>DeRozan also finished second in the Clutch Player of the Year voting behind only Stephen Curry. With Fox and DeRozan, the Kings now have two players capable of putting pressure on opposing defenses off the dribble and in clutch situations.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

DeMar DeRozan sends warning about ‘unguardable’ Domantas Sabonis pairing

Exclusive: Domantas Sabonis reveals why Kings’ DeMar DeRozan addition is ‘final piece’

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/raptors-news-demar-derozan-keeps-door-open-potential-return');   ga('set', 'title', 'DeMar DeRozan keeps door open on potential Raptors return');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Raptors-news-DeMar-DeRozan-keeps-door-open-on-potential-Toronto-return.jpg"></figure><h1>DeMar DeRozan keeps door open on potential Raptors return</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-16T10:06:19-07:00">September 16th, 10:06am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-16T10:06:19-07:00">September 16th, 10:06am</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>While Sacramento Kings star DeMar DeRozan isn’t considering retirement anytime soon, he understands why Philadelphia 76ers veteran <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-kyle-lowrys-shocking-admission-on-future-retirement">Kyle Lowry wants to retire with the Toronto Raptors</a> one day. Lowry spent eight seasons with the Raptors, where he won an NBA title in 2019. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raptors-news-demar-derozan-believes-won-title-stayed-raptors">DeRozan believes he would have won a championship</a> had he stayed. Instead, Toronto traded DeRozan to the San Antonio Spurs for Kawhi Leonard in 2018 after nine seasons removed from the 2009 NBA Draft, where the Raptors selected the 15-year veteran with the No. 9 pick overall.</p><p>DeRozan wouldn’t mind <a href="https://www.thestar.com/sports/raptors/demar-derozan-on-supporting-torontos-wnba-team-and-the-idea-of-retiring-with-raptors/article_ed9ee1f6-72c3-11ef-90f2-b310d38beffa.html" rel="noopener">rejoining the team that drafted him</a>, per The Toronto Star’s Doug Smith.</p><p>“You definitely want to go out in a poetic way, especially where it all started,” he said. “If I had the opportunity to do something like that, you can’t turn something like that down, to put on that jersey for the last time, because it was the first jersey you put on.”</p><p>DeRozan served as the Raptors’ sacrificial lamb toward their franchise’s first championship. Although 2018-19 ended Leonard’s lone season in Toronto, the two All-Star veterans are forever revered by Raptors fans as two key components that resulted in a championship.</p><p>Leonard, a Los Angeles native, returned to play for his hometown, signing a three-year, $149.5 million contract with the Los Angeles Clippers. In 2021, DeRozan was moved from the Spurs to the Chicago Bulls in a sign-and-trade.</p><h2><b>DeMar DeRozan says he would have won a title with the Raptors</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/DeMar-DeRozan.jpg"><figcaption>Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry, and the Raptors never reached the NBA Finals. After being swept 4-0 by LeBron James and the Cavaliers in back-to-back postseasons in 2018, DeRozan was traded to the Spurs the following offseason, in the same summer, when James signed a four-year, $154 million contract with the Lakers.</p><p>For this reason, DeRozan believes that the Raptors <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1833986008825631130" rel="noopener">were destined to win</a> the NBA title in 2019.</p><p>“The only person we couldn’t beat was LeBron,” DeRozan admitted via ESPN First Take’s X, formerly Twitter. “That’s just what it was, and I felt, off the year we had before, we just needed one more piece to kind of push us over the top, and that piece came to be LeBron going to the West. You know, and I didn’t get the opportunity to see what would have happened, but [with] the utmost confidence within myself, I have no doubt in my mind the same outcome would have happened.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Stephen A. Smith: “The year [Kawhi Leonard] arrived, [LeBron James] went to LA… Had DeMar DeRozan stayed there? He’d be [an NBA] champion with the [Raptors].”</p><p>DeMar: “For sure, I definitely feel like that. The only person we couldn’t beat was LeBron."<a href="https://t.co/9g2uczlHS9">pic.twitter.com/9g2uczlHS9</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1833986008825631130?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>DeRozan was traded to the Kings over the summer for Chris Duarte and two second-round picks. He then agreed to a three-year, $74 million contract.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

DeMar DeRozan keeps door open on potential Raptors return

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/kings-news-demar-derozan-sheds-light-battle-depression');   ga('set', 'title', 'Kings’ DeMar DeRozan sheds light on battle with depression');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Kings-news-DeMar-DeRozan-sheds-light-on-battle-with-depression.jpg"></figure><h1>Kings’ DeMar DeRozan sheds light on battle with depression</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-15T23:51:09-07:00">September 15th, 11:51pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-15T23:51:09-07:00">September 15th, 11:51pm</time><address><a>Michael Aaron Gomez</a>Michael Aaron Gomez is a creative writer and longtime NBA fan. He has been a fan of the Lakers since the three-peat but believes LeBron James is the greatest player of all time.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>New Sacramento Kings swingman <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kings-demar-derozan-reveals-hardest-part-of-changing-nba-teams">DeMar DeRozan knows trades are hard for players</a>, and he also knows the struggle of pro athletes to maintain their mental health. As much as we admire them for their skill and net worth, we might forget that they are human, too. Constant mockery for bad performances or emotional stress from injuries and being away from family can wear players down and cause them depression. In a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter, DeRozan shared his experience of what it’s like to battle depression.</p><p>Besides <a href="https://x.com/DeMar_DeRozan/status/1835546581917225390" rel="noopener">these posts</a>, the former Raptors forward has <a href="https://x.com/DeMar_DeRozan/status/1835546387880276373" rel="noopener">gone public with his depression</a>, becoming one of the NBA’s leading activists on <a href="https://x.com/DeMar_DeRozan/status/1835546730710089778" rel="noopener">mental health</a>, along with Kevin Love of the Miami Heat.</p><h2><b>The Kings star and mental health</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/DeMar-DeRozan-driving-to-the-rim.jpg"><figcaption>© Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kings-news-demar-derozan-blasts-social-media-influence-nba">DeMar DeRozan also had issues with social media</a> and the NBA, particularly how negative commentary and opinions from fans can affect a player’s state of mind. Sometimes, fans are too eager to tell a player that he stinks even after a single bad performance, planting seeds of doubt that could cause their play and mental health to suffer.</p><p>“We live in such an opinion-based universe now. You can’t express nothing without outside people trying to tear that down,” DeRozan said in his recent appearance on First Take, via ClutchPoints on X. “…You can pick up your phone and see so many opinions placed on you, or you give an opinion right away in real time and that can take anything over the top.”</p><p>DeRozan also commented on the power fans now hold over players thanks to social media’s ability to build and spread narratives.</p><p>“We’re all media as soon as we pick up our phone. I think it makes it a lot tougher in ways and I think a lot of the conversations I have is to try to break a lot of stigma that we are scared to have at times because of such an opinion-based world we live in,” he added.</p><p>Thinking about it this way, it’s not hard to understand DeMar DeRozan’s recent Twitter posts on depression. Take, for example, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/timberwolves-news-anthony-edwards-claims-michael-jordan-was-only-older-generation-player-with-skill">Anthony Edwards’ take on Michael Jordan</a> as the only “skilled” player of his era, a claim impossible to make or believe seriously without listening to the narratives on X or Facebook.</p><p>Likewise, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-news-russell-westbrook-confronts-rude-hornets-fan-dont-disrespect-my-name">Russell Westbrook has heard slander</a> of all kinds from fans, including the many variations of the “Westbrick” meme. He must have also seen the memes of him wearing a construction worker’s uniform while launching bricks.</p><h2><b>Posts and a book</b></h2><p>Hopefully, the DeMar DeRozan’s Twitter posts helps people understand the reality of depression for pro athletes. His book, “Above the Noise: My Story of Chasing Calm,” co-written with Dave Zarum, should also enlighten fans about the disease.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kings’ DeMar DeRozan sheds light on battle with depression

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/kings-news-demar-derozan-prediction');   ga('set', 'title', 'DeMar DeRozan drops fearless Kings prediction for 2024-25 season');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/09-11-24-derozan-featured.jpg"></figure><h1>DeMar DeRozan drops fearless Kings prediction for 2024-25 season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-11T19:54:55-07:00">September 11th, 7:54pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-11T19:54:55-07:00">September 11th, 7:54pm</time><address><a>David Korn</a>David Korn is an MLB associate editor at ClutchPoints. He is also a producer at MLB Network Radio and covers college basketball for A10Talk. David graduated from George Washington in 2023, where he was the radio play-by-play broadcaster for their Men's and Women's Basketball teams.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>One of newest members of the Sacramento Kings is already feeling very confident about his new team ahead of the 2024-25 season. DeMar DeRozan, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kings-land-demar-derozan-in-sign-and-trade-deal">the biggest offseason addition for the Kings</a>, dropped quite the prediction about how far Sacramento would go on the NBA playoffs.</p><p>DeRozan was asked what <a href="https://x.com/TheDunkCentral/status/1833912542047215730?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1833912542047215730%7Ctwgr%5Ef3f9d98c5a884c4f7a1a35564d1bd8946c182f5c%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Farticles%2F10135062-video-demar-derozan-predicts-kings-to-make-2025-wcf-after-sign-and-trade-from-bulls" rel="noopener">his boldest take</a> was for this upcoming season during an appearance on ESPN’s “First Take.”</p><p>“Kings, Western Conference Finals,” DeRozan confidently replied.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">DeMar DeRozan has the Kings making the WCF 👀</p><p>(🎥 <a href="https://twitter.com/FirstTake?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FirstTake</a> / h/t <a href="https://twitter.com/AhnFireDigital?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AhnFireDigital</a> )</p><p> <a href="https://t.co/zF2C31oPSU">pic.twitter.com/zF2C31oPSU</a></p><p>— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheDunkCentral/status/1833912542047215730?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>That is quite the take from DeRozan, who is joining a Kings team that was bounced in the No. 8 seed game of the play-in tournament last season. While DeRozan can not be faulted for believing in himself or his new teammates, it would be shocking if the Kings are able to advance that far in the playoffs.</p><h2>Sacramento Kings’ Outlook for the 2024-25 season</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/09-11-24-derozan-image.jpg"><figcaption>© Sam Navarro-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Kings had a very underrated offseason. Despite having to give up Harrison Barnes, who had been one of the Kings’ most consistent contributors since joining the team during the 2018-19 season, for <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grading-kings-bulls-spurs-demar-derozan-trade">DeRozan in the sign-and-trade</a> with the San Antonio Spurs and Chicago Bulls, DeRozan is a clear upgrade.</p><p>Entering his age-35 season, DeRozan has showed no signs of slowing down and is still one of the best scorers in the NBA. Last season, DeRozan led the entire league in minutes, averaging 37.8, and had 24.0 points, 5.3 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game while shooting 33.3% from three on 2.8 attempts from behind the arc per game.</p><p>While DeRozan, a slasher who can dominate from the mid-range, is somewhat of a throwback because he does not rely on three point shooting, he is still an incredibly effective scorer. DeRozan, point guard De’Aaron Fox and forward Domantas Sabonis will form one of the best trios in the league and should be able to keep up with any team on the offensive end.</p><p>A potential concern for the DeRozan-Fox-Sabonis trio is that none of them are volume three point shooters. At least early in the season, it will be critical for the three Kings stars to figure out how to play together and effectively space the floor.</p><p>However, the biggest question mark for the Kings comes on defense. While Fox is a capable point of attack defender, most of the team’s defensive responsibilities will fall on the shoulders of third-year forward Keegan Murray.</p><p>This is the most talented and star-powered Kings team in a long time. If there was ever an opportunity to make a deep playoff run in Sacramento, it would be this year.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

DeMar DeRozan drops fearless Kings prediction for 2024-25 season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/kings-news-demar-derozan-blasts-social-media-influence-nba');   ga('set', 'title', 'Kings star DeMar DeRozan blasts social media influence on NBA');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/0DeMar-DeRozan-blasts-social-media-influence-on-NBA0.jpg"></figure><h1>Kings star DeMar DeRozan blasts social media influence on NBA</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-11T11:18:36-07:00">September 11th, 11:18am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-11T11:18:36-07:00">September 11th, 11:18am</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University senior from Atlanta on track to graduate with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>This offseason, the Sacramento Kings made one of their splashier moves in recent years by signing free agent shooting guard DeMar DeRozan to a contract. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/spurs-news-kings-demar-derozan-reveals-what-gregg-popovich-taught-him">The Kings are</a> coming off of a disappointing season in which they failed to make it out of the Play-In round, and the <a href="http://Newly%20signed%20Sacramento%20Kings%20star%20DeMar%20DeRozan%20thinks%20that%20social%20media%20culture%20is%20ruining%20the%20modern%20NBA.">signing of DeRozan</a> is sure to add an extra scoring kick to a team that sorely needed it at times throughout that campaign.</p><p>Recently, DeRozan stopped by ESPN’s studios in New York to appear on First Take, and in doing so, he dropped an opinion on the <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1833898841327681642" rel="noopener">current social media climate</a> of the NBA landscape and some of the negative affects that that can have on the players themselves, via ClutchPoints on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>“We live in such an opinion-based universe now. You can’t express nothing without outside people trying to tear that down,” said DeRozan. “…Nowadays you can pick up your phone and see so many opinions placed on you, or you give an opinion right away in real time and that can take anything over the top.”</p><p>DeRozan also spoke on the unprecedented power that everyday people now have in shaping the narratives on social media.</p><p>“We’re all media as soon as we pick up our phone,” said DeRozan. “I think it makes it a lot tougher in ways and I think a lot of the conversations I have is I try to break a lot of stigma that we are scared to have at times because of such an opinion-based world we live in.”</p><p>DeRozan has indeed been a huge mental health advocate in the NBA throughout his career, shining a light on an issue that some might incorrectly assume wouldn’t apply as strongly to professional athletes.</p><h2><b>How much does DeMar DeRozan help the Kings?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/DeMar-DeRozan-blasts-social-media-influence-on-NBA.jpg"><figcaption>Sam Navarro-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>At first glance, it would appear that DeMar DeRozan will probably be sliding into the small forward spot for the Kings, due to the fact that the team no longer employs Harrison Barnes and that both Kevin Huerter and Keon Ellis are viable options at the two guard spot.</p><p>This being the case, it goes without saying that the Kings will have one of the smaller lineups in the NBA this year, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing if DeRozan can continue to score at an elite level as he did during his tenure with the Chicago Bulls.</p><p>The Kings’ season is set to get underway on October 23.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kings star DeMar DeRozan blasts social media influence on NBA

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/bulls-news-demar-derozan-major-billy-donovan-endorsement-after-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'DeMar DeRozan drops major Billy Donovan endorsement after trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Kings-news-DeMar-DeRozan-drops-major-Billy-Donovan-endorsement-after-trade.jpg"><figcaption>ClutchPoints</figcaption></figure><h1>DeMar DeRozan drops major Billy Donovan endorsement after trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-11T11:04:15-07:00">September 11th, 11:04am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-11T11:04:15-07:00">September 11th, 11:04am</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>DeMar DeRozan, a six-time NBA All-Star, endorsed his former head coach Billy Donovan during a recent appearance on ESPN’s First Take, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kings-land-demar-derozan-in-sign-and-trade-deal">following his offseason trade to the Sacramento Kings</a>. Heading into his 16th season, DeRozan spoke highly of Donovan, reflecting on their three seasons together with the Chicago Bulls.</p><p>“I love Billy D [Donovan], man. He’s one heck of a person and coach,” DeRozan said. “My time there, the way he embraced me, the way he allowed me to step in and be the leader that I was, he’s a great coach, great guy. I feel like he doesn’t get the props that he fully deserves as a coach. He’s definitely underrated. I wish him nothing but the best. He allowed me to be myself coming into Chicago and made it easy for all of us. I have nothing but love and respect for Billy.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“I love Billy [Donovan], man. [He’s] one heck of a person and coach… I feel like he don’t get the props that he fully deserves as a coach. He’s definitely underrated. He allowed me to be myself.”</p><p>DeMar DeRozan showing love for his former Bulls coach 💯<a href="https://t.co/131Nk7Zlsi">pic.twitter.com/131Nk7Zlsi</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1833910183321563423?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><h2>DeMar DeRozan’s standout seasons under Billy Donovan, despite Bulls’ playoff struggles</h2><p>DeRozan’s praise comes after a challenging but productive stint under Donovan in Chicago, where he played some of the best basketball of his career. During the 2021-22 season, DeRozan posted a <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/player/stats/_/id/3978/demar-derozan" rel="noopener">career-high 27.9 points per game</a>, alongside 5.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists, while shooting 50.4% from the field and a career-best 35.2% from beyond the arc. His standout performance helped the Bulls finish the regular season with a 46-36 record, securing the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference.</p><p>Despite DeRozan’s individual success, the Chicago Bulls failed to meet team expectations. Injuries to key players, including Lonzo Ball and Zach LaVine, derailed their momentum, leading to a first-round playoff exit against the Milwaukee Bucks in five games during the 2021-22 season. The Bulls couldn’t build on that success in the following seasons, resulting in DeRozan’s offseason trade to Sacramento.</p><h2><b>DeRozan brings leadership and scoring to Kings as they aim for deeper postseason run</b></h2><p>Now with the Kings, DeRozan enters a new chapter of his career. The veteran forward not only brings his scoring prowess but also the leadership experience Donovan helped him develop in Chicago. DeRozan fondly recalls his time under Donovan and believes his former coach doesn’t receive the appreciation he deserves in the NBA.</p><p>DeRozan joins a Kings team looking to bounce back after a disappointing finish last season. Sacramento reached the playoffs in the 2022-23 season, but despite winning 46 games last year, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kings-most-to-blame-in-shock-play-in-loss-to-zion-williamson-less-pelicans">Kings were eliminated in the Play-In tournament</a> by the New Orleans Pelicans. The addition of DeRozan adds a veteran presence to a young team eager to make a deeper postseason run in the upcoming campaign.</p><p>As DeRozan prepares for his first season with the Kings, his respect for Donovan’s coaching abilities remains evident. Sacramento is aiming to build on its recent success, and DeRozan’s experience and proven talent will be pivotal in helping the team achieve its goals.</p><p>For DeRozan, his time in Chicago may have ended, but his admiration for Billy Donovan remains intact.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

DeMar DeRozan drops major Billy Donovan endorsement after trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/spurs-news-demar-derozan-reveals-secret-video-session-by-gregg-popovich');   ga('set', 'title', 'DeMar DeRozan reveals secret video session by Gregg Popovich');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Spurs-news-DeMar-DeRozan-reveals-secret-video-session-by-Gregg-Popovich.jpg"></figure><h1>DeMar DeRozan reveals secret video session by Gregg Popovich</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-10T17:20:02-07:00">September 10th, 5:20pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-10T17:23:59-07:00">September 10th, 5:23pm</time><address><a>Itiel Estudillo</a>Itiel Estudillo is an NBA Journalist at ClutchPoints. He's been working as a sports analyst for two years now and aims to leave a remarkable impression in the industry. When off the keyboard, Itiel participates in the local basketball league and pickup games. But when he's off the court, he also loves to grab his controller and enjoy a vast collection of video games.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>DeMar DeRozan revealed that San Antonio Spurs <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/spurs-news-gregg-popovich-promising-outlook-young-guns-chris-paul">head coach Gregg Popovich</a> made them watch sensitive videos to motivate the team. Back in 2018, DeRozan teamed up with the Spurs. Throughout that DeRozan said that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/spurs-news-kings-demar-derozan-reveals-what-gregg-popovich-taught-him">he learned a lot of things from coach Popovich</a>. The veteran mentioned on Podcast P with Paul George that his former coach was unique in bestowing wisdom upon his team.</p><p>DeRozan <a href="https://youtu.be/0yPa_zor5yo?feature=shared&amp;t=3877" rel="noopener">looked back at the time</a> his team thought coach Popovich was going to show them a film of basketball. To everyone’s surprise, the coach showed a video of young kids training to be in the military instead. Apparently, the lesson Popovich was trying to teach his team that his players are living the good life. Having that said, the message was that his team shouldn’t be whining or complaining when all they need to do is play basketball while getting paid to do so.</p><p>“He always put life in perspective,” DeRozan said. “I remember one time we came in thinking we’re about to watch film and basketball and he showed us a whole video of kids in a third world country, like 12 years old, training to be in the army… And he’s showing us.”</p><p>“He didn’t give us a heads up, he just showed us. It go off and he just says something like. Y’all in the NBA. So you take away from that put in perspective. We b****ing and complaining about whatever it is we may be complaining about, but imagine if you had a kid over there and your kid was training for the army. At 12, 13,14 years old. It’s real. We’re very privileged, so with that, give yourself grace when you think s**t is hard. It ain’t that hard in comparison to what a lot of these other countries may be going through.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><h2><b>The success of Gregg Popovich as Spurs’ head coach</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Gregg-Popovich-coaching-Victor-Wembanyama.jpg"><figcaption>© Rob Gray-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Gregg Popovich has served the San Antonio Spurs as the head coach since 1996. Throughout almost three decades of coaching various generations of Spurs players, Popovich proved that he is one of the best coaches ever in NBA history. Within his first three seasons as head coach, ‘Pop’ won his first championship in 1999 during the David Robinson era. He then proceeded to win four more titles with the dynasty he built around the trio of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker.</p><p>While the ratio of his longevity in the league and his title wins don’t seem to be up to par, there’s no denying his prowess as a coach. Popovich won three NBA Coach of the Year awards, already solidifying his Hall of Famer status in the early 2000s.</p><p>Now in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Popovich seems to be in his final stretch as the head coach of the Spurs. While it’ll be a sad day in San Antonio when the time comes that he retires, at least ‘Pop’ can walk away with his head held up high knowing everything he did for the Spurs organization.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

DeMar DeRozan reveals secret video session by Gregg Popovich

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/bulls-news-demar-derozan-reveals-why-wizards-michael-jordan-was-his-favorite');   ga('set', 'title', 'DeMar DeRozan reveals why Wizards’ Michael Jordan was his favorite');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/DeMar-DeRozan-Michael-Jordan-Chicago-Bulls-Sacramento-Kings-Washington-Wizards-2.jpg"></figure><h1>DeMar DeRozan reveals why Wizards’ Michael Jordan was his favorite</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-10T17:10:47-07:00">September 10th, 5:10pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-10T17:12:20-07:00">September 10th, 5:12pm</time><address><a>Tomer Azarly</a>Tomer Azarly is in his ninth season as the LA Clippers beat writer and NBA reporter for ClutchPoints. From the Lob City era to the Kawhi Leonard-Paul George era, he brings you everything you need to know about the Clippers as well as coast-to-coast coverage of the NBA.In his off time, Tomer likes to play basketball, video games, and draw.You can follow his Twitter for all Clippers content.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Michael Jordan is considered the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bulls-news-ronnie-2k-michael-jordan-goat-lebron-james">greatest of all time</a> by most basketball fans solely because of what he was able to do with the Chicago Bulls. Sacramento Kings star <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kings-demar-derozan-sets-record-straight-on-anthony-edwards-controversial-michael-jordan-take">DeMar DeRozan, however, has a different take</a> on his favorite Jordan.</p><p>Jordan played 15 seasons in the NBA, nearly all of which came with the Chicago Bulls. He was drafted in 1984 and played his first nine seasons with the Bulls before retiring. He then returned and played four more seasons with the Bulls until 1998, when he retired a escond time. He came out of retirement one last time in 2001, joining the Washington Wizards as a 38 year old, where he played for two more seasons before retiring again, this time for good.</p><h2><b>DeMar DeRozan and Wizards’ Michael Jordan</b></h2><p>Michael Jordan played the final two seasons of his career in Washington as a 38 and 39 year old forward. He averaged 21.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game on 43.1 percent shooting from the field.</p><p>Sacramento Kings star DeMar DeRozan says Wizards Jordan is his favorite Jordan because that’s when he was able to show how skilled he really was.</p><p>DeRozan recently joined Podcast P with Paul George, where the two stars discussed a wide range of topics, from DeRozan’s new memoir and Kobe Bryant to playing for the Chicago Bulls and what it’s like to switch teams. One of the topics discussed was DeRozan’s admiration for Michael Jordan during his days with the Washington Wizards.</p><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Washington-Wizards-guard-Michael-Jordan-driving-against-Los-Angeles-Lakers-forward-Rick-Fox-2.jpg"><figcaption>Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>“If you sit and just watch Wizards Michael Jordan, and see how incredible he was from 38 to 40 years old…,” <a href="https://youtu.be/0yPa_zor5yo?feature=shared&amp;t=2909" rel="noopener">DeMar DeRozan said to Paul George</a> on his podcast. “The way he scored the ball, the way he was able to create his shots from the post, from the elbow, off one dribble, off two dribbles, stop and pull-up, how physical he was, in the post, how he was able to create contact and still get to the basket. He wasn’t athletic like he was, but still being able to finish over guys.”</p><p>Jordan’s 21 point per game average as a Wizards player was a far cry from his Chicago Bulls days, where he averaged 31.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 2.5 steals per game on 50.5 percent shooting. DeRozan was impressed with how Jordan was able to get to his spots despite the loss in athleticism.</p><p>“It was so incredible because it was such a master of art, how simple he just made the game,” <a href="https://youtu.be/0yPa_zor5yo?feature=shared&amp;t=2909" rel="noopener">DeRozan added</a>. “Playing off jab steps, pump fakes, and I used to watch every bit of Wizards Jordan because it was like if he’s doing this at this age, let me figure out how to master these things that he’s doing because you don’t see everybody doing that.</p><p>“Everybody wanna dribble, dribble, dribble, dribble, double step-back, all that. And it’s like, ‘nah, let me make the game simple and kill these spots and angles and using my body on the fadeaways, either shoulder.’ That’s one thing that I took from Wizards Mike. Because he was incredible. If you really watch him, he was incredible.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>He didn’t win any accolades and his teams weren’t particularly good, but Michael Jordan as a member of the Wizards was still better than almost the entire league.</p><p>His legacy may be even greater than it is now, if that’s even possible, had he not sat four years in his 30’s when he was still extremely productive.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

DeMar DeRozan reveals why Wizards’ Michael Jordan was his favorite

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/spurs-news-kings-demar-derozan-reveals-what-gregg-popovich-taught-him');   ga('set', 'title', 'Kings’ DeMar DeRozan reveals what Spurs’ Gregg Popovich taught him');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Kings-DeMar-DeRozan-reveals-what-Gregg-Popovich-taught-him.jpg"></figure><h1>Kings’ DeMar DeRozan reveals what Spurs’ Gregg Popovich taught him</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-10T14:38:34-07:00">September 10th, 2:38pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-10T14:38:34-07:00">September 10th, 2:38pm</time><address><a href="https://nextmanupblog.medium.com/">Jay Postrado</a>Jay Postrado is a sports writer for ClutchPoints, with expertise in covering the NBA, NFL, MLB, Tennis, and Formula 1. He is a lifelong motorsports and tennis fan. Jay's need for speed may no longer be on the grid or courts but has stayed with him through writing.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>DeMar DeRozan has officially become a journeyman in the NBA. After his stints with the San Antonio Spurs and Chicago Bulls, he has now found himself playing<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-76ers-lakers-among-teams-demar-derozan-considered-before-joining-kings"> alongside De’Aaron Fox in the Sacramento Kings</a> system. This also means that he has worked under many legendary coaches of the 21st century. Despite the myriad of head honchos that he played for, one will always stand out and that is Coach Gregg Popovich.</p><p>The Spurs head honcho is always a wonderful experience for any player that he comes across. Gregg Popovich springboards a lot of players to success from David Robinson and Tim Duncan all the way to Victor Wembanyama. Before Pop got The Alien by his side, he first <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kings-demar-derozan-sets-record-straight-on-anthony-edwards-controversial-michael-jordan-take">had to mentor DeMar DeRozan.</a> How did that work out? Well, it sounds like the master of the midrange<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yPa_zor5yo&amp;t=2816s" rel="noopener"> had a lot of learnings</a> under the Spurs system.</p><p>“It was like a university that I graduated in three years when I was in San Antonio. Pop challenged me on a whole different level that I have never been challenged in before. Moreso from understanding how to be a playmaker, how to play without the ball, how to make your teammates around you way better, make them comfortable, and make them find different ways to have confidence in the game. And I carried all that over with my ability to be able to score to Chicago. I put all that together,” the Kings veteran said during his appearance on the Podcast P Show with Paul George.</p><h2><b>What is the expectation for DeMar DeRozan when he enters the Kings?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/DeMar-DeRozan-trying-a-layup.jpg"><figcaption>© Sam Navarro-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The first thing is that he will be the veteran on the squad who will be guiding Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox. Moreover, his numbers should also still be solid despite being 35 years old. Just last season, DeRozan proved that he still has a lot of legs after playing 79 games with the Bulls.</p><p>His numbers alongside the Midwestern squad were also not bad. DeRozan knocked down 48% of his shots from all three levels of scoring to notch an average of 24 points. Offensively, he is still very serviceable when it comes to being the playmaker as he drops 5.3 assists a night. On defense, the Kings can still expect him do great as he grabs 4.3 rebounds while also stealing the ball 1.1 times a game.</p><p>Gregg Popovich has clearly shown DeRozan the secret to longevity in the league. While he already left the Spurs system, the Kings could surely benefit from his veteran acumen.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kings’ DeMar DeRozan reveals what Spurs’ Gregg Popovich taught him

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/kings-demar-derozan-sets-record-straight-on-anthony-edwards-controversial-michael-jordan-take');   ga('set', 'title', 'Kings’ DeMar DeRozan sets record straight on Anthony Edwards’ controversial Michael Jordan take');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Kings-news-DeMar-DeRozan-sets-record-straight-on-Anthony-Edwards-controversial-Michael-Jordan-take.jpg"></figure><h1>Kings’ DeMar DeRozan sets record straight on Anthony Edwards’ controversial Michael Jordan take</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-10T10:51:31-07:00">September 10th, 10:51am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-10T10:51:31-07:00">September 10th, 10:51am</time><address><a>Ryan Bologna</a>Ryan Bologna is an author at ClutchPoints. He studied journalism and communication at UConn.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>New Sacramento Kings star DeMar DeRozan recently appeared on Podcast P with Paul George, and the two discussed the controversial comments by Minnesota Twins star Anthony Edwards, who said that no one outside of Michael Jordan had skill during that era of the NBA. DeRozan <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1833545282442957129" rel="noopener">disagreed with the take</a>.</p><p>“My take is listen, Ant is one of my favorite players to watch by far, but even something like that, we never would’ve made no statement like that,” DeMar DeRozan said on Podcast P presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment. “You see what I’m saying? Because regardless at the end of the day I respect every OG who ever played this game. … And I’ll never discredit wherever the league was at 20 years ago, because it’s all about elevating. If you look at it, those guys still was incredible. You can’t tell me it wasn’t no skillful guys around just because at the time you have such a phenom of an athletic freak in Michael Jordan, don’t discredit everybody else.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"I was trying to understand where he was coming from. But I know from my point of view, I would never discredit or undermine anybody who came before me."</p><p>DeMar DeRozan on Anthony Edwards' controversial take on Michael Jordan's era 🗣️</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/PodcastPShow?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PodcastPShow</a>)<a href="https://t.co/ZOrbwzAGpv">pic.twitter.com/ZOrbwzAGpv</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1833545282442957129?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-76ers-lakers-among-teams-demar-derozan-considered-before-joining-kings">Both DeRozan and</a> George have been in the league for a while, and clearly have respect for those who came before them. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kings-demar-derozan-reveals-hardest-part-of-changing-nba-teams">DeRozan gained respect</a> from his peers through his time with the Toronto Raptors, while George did the same with the Indiana Pacers as a young player. DeRozan hopes to help the Kings get back towards the top of the standings in the Western Conference, while George is hoping to help Joel Embiid win his first NBA title with the Philadelphia 76ers.</p><h2><b>DeMar DeRozan backs up Michael Jordan era</b></h2><p>DeRozan brought up an example of a player who had skill during that era, citing Hakeem Olajuwon with the Houston Rockets.</p><p>“Hakeem Olajuwon play in the 90s, he had the most skill big I done seen, play in the 90s,” DeRozan said. “You know, wins back-to-back championships, MVPs, defensive players. I was trying to understand where he was coming from, but I know from my point of view I would never discredit or undermine anybody who came before me.”</p><p>Olajuwon is not the only example that DeRozan could have brought up, but it was a good choice. Edwards’ comments have not been popular, and many players have come out to say they do not agree with his sentiment. Regardless, Edwards is one of the most talented players in the NBA right now, and he will try to help the Timberwolves win the championship this season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kings’ DeMar DeRozan sets record straight on Anthony Edwards’ controversial Michael Jordan take

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/kings-demar-derozan-reveals-hardest-part-of-changing-nba-teams');   ga('set', 'title', 'Kings’ DeMar DeRozan reveals hardest part of changing NBA teams');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Kings-news-DeMar-DeRozan-reveals-hardest-part-of-changing-NBA-teams.jpg"></figure><h1>Kings’ DeMar DeRozan reveals hardest part of changing NBA teams</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-09T22:43:25-07:00">September 9th, 10:43pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-09T22:43:25-07:00">September 9th, 10:43pm</time><address><a>Michael Aaron Gomez</a>Michael Aaron Gomez is a creative writer and longtime NBA fan. He has been a fan of the Lakers since the three-peat but believes LeBron James is the greatest player of all time.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The newly acquired Sacramento Kings swingman DeMar DeRozan has played for four teams in his 15-year NBA career. However, he might be the first one to say that each trade to a new team in a new city doesn’t get easier, even though his latest trade brought DeRozan home to California. In a recent appearance on Paul George’s “Podcast P” show, the six-time All-Star explained what makes getting trade hard on NBA players.</p><p>“For me, being away from my kids is the toughest,” he said in the interview. “Since I left Toronto, for the most part, my kids have been in LA, so being away from them, missing a lot of… if it’s the daddy-daughter dance or my son got an appointment or something that you miss. You miss certain things that kind of sting in the moment. It kind of puts you in a funk when you can’t be there.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><h2><b>The Kings forward speaks</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/DeMar-DeRozan-trying-a-layup.jpg"><figcaption>© Sam Navarro-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>DeRozan continued, “Especially my oldest. My oldest kid asks questions like, ‘Why were you not there?’ or ‘Are you gonna be there for this?’ Even the other day, one of my daughters asked me, ‘Are you gonna be home for Halloween?’ And it’s like, ‘Ugh, s**t, I gotta check the schedule,’ so for me, that’s the toughest part out of everything.”</p><p>Before <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/kings-proposal-lands-demar-derozan-in-bulls-sign-and-trade">arriving at the Kings, DeRozan</a> played for the Chicago Bulls, which saw the postseason in 2022 but lost in the play-in tournament for two straight years.</p><p>In 2022, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bulls-news-nikola-vucevic-honest-lonzo-ball-admission-team-upheaval">Bulls also had a healthy Lonzo Ball</a>, who helped them grab the best record in the Eastern Conference at one point. As the primary scorer on the Bulls, DeRozan averaged 25.5 points, 5.1 assists, and 4.7 rebounds.</p><p>He had also played for the San Antonio Spurs, after a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/exactly-how-the-kawhi-leonard-spurs-relationship-broke-apart">trade sent Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors</a>.</p><p>This trade for the disgruntled Spur also catapulted DeRozan’s former team to the NBA championship, which must have stung, given the numerous playoff eliminations DeRozan’s Raptors faced courtesy of LeBron James.</p><p>It was also against DeRozan’s Raptors that LeBron <a href="https://www.sportskeeda.com/basketball/the-legend-lebronto-looking-back-lebron-james-domination-toronto-raptors-changed-city-s-name-fans" rel="noopener">earned the nickname</a> “LeBronto,” after demolishing the Raptors in 2018 and almost singlehandedly swept them out of the second round.</p><p>Now, after three previous NBA teams, Demar DeRozan looks to revitalize his playoff hopes with the Kings and advance past the play-in despite playing in a stacked Western Conference. The young team had just returned to the postseason in 2023, though they lost to the then-defending champions Golden State Warriors in a thrilling seven games.</p><h2><b>What’s next?</b></h2><p>However, they stumbled a bit in 2024, failing to improve upon their previous 48-34 record and falling short in the play-in against the New Orleans Pelicans despite avenging their playoff loss to the Warriors.</p><p>While the Kings aren’t lacking in offense, it wouldn’t hurt to add a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bulls-news-demar-derozan-turns-down-rest-aid-chicagos-fiery-playoff-push">playoff veteran like DeRozan</a> to the roster. Still, it remains to be seen whether their style of outscoring their opponents every game will take them far in the postseason.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kings’ DeMar DeRozan reveals hardest part of changing NBA teams

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/bulls-news-demar-derozan-calls-alex-caruso-top-3-favorite-teammate');   ga('set', 'title', 'DeMar DeRozan calls Alex Caruso top 3 favorite teammate');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Bulls-news-DeMar-DeRozan-calls-Alex-Caruso-top-3-favorite-teammate.jpg"></figure><h1>DeMar DeRozan calls Alex Caruso top 3 favorite teammate</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-09T22:36:51-07:00">September 9th, 10:36pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-09T22:41:46-07:00">September 9th, 10:41pm</time><address><a>Itiel Estudillo</a>Itiel Estudillo is an NBA Journalist at ClutchPoints. He's been working as a sports analyst for two years now and aims to leave a remarkable impression in the industry. When off the keyboard, Itiel participates in the local basketball league and pickup games. But when he's off the court, he also loves to grab his controller and enjoy a vast collection of video games.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>DeMar DeRozan revealed on Podcast P with Paul George that Alex Caruso is among <a href="https://youtu.be/0yPa_zor5yo?si=VlY5QHYkwvj7sH5p&amp;t=2740" rel="noopener">his top three favorite teammates</a>. Both players were teammates for three seasons with the Chicago Bulls, starting in the 2021-22 NBA season. Sadly, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-alex-caruso-major-personal-announcement-after-okc-trade">Caruso was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder</a> last June for Josh Giddey. That means that fans will no longer see the duo of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bulls-news-alex-caruso-gets-demar-derozan-praise-wild-game-winner-vs-raptors">Caruso and DeRozan</a>.</p><p>Despite parting ways, DeRozan acknowledged that Caruso is undoubtedly one of his favorite teammates. The Bulls star didn’t go in-depth as to why his former teammate was one of his favorites. However, he did go straight to the point and said he loved playing Caruso.</p><p>“One thing I really appreciate about my time in Chicago was definitely my teammates. All of them. From Coby White to Pat Williams, Vuc, Zach, Lonzo, all those guys that I played with. It was a special time. I gained a different type of bond with most of those guys that was there for sure. My dog AC. That’s my favorite… Listen, my bad AC [for not naming earlier]. Caruso… I gotta put this out here. Caruso is probably my top 3 favorite teammates of all time. I love that dude man. I love… I love AC man. He knows. He knows how I greet him every time. That’s my dog.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><h2><b>Looking back at DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso’s time as teammates</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Alex-Caruso-low-fives-DeMar-DeRozan.jpg"><figcaption>© Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>When the Los Angeles Lakers passed on Alex Caruso in the summer of 2021, the Chicago Bulls saw the opportunity to sign one of the best defensive guards in the league. At that time, the Bulls were trying to build a team around Zach LaVine in hopes of possibly contending for the NBA title. Chicago then acquired DeMar DeRozan which further solidified their status as contenders in the Eastern Conference.</p><p>True enough, the Bulls were able to improve their standings from ranking 11th in the 2020-21 season to securing the sixth seed in the 2022 NBA Playoffs. DeRozan, as expected, became the focal point of the Bulls’ offense alongside LaVine. Then on defense was none other than Caruso, who provided 1.7 steals per game in his first season in Chicago.</p><p>Unfortunately, their strength in the east was short-lived as they often found themselves competing for a playoff spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament. Despite these setbacks, it’s easy to understand why DeRozan enjoyed his time playing alongside Caruso. ‘AC’ is one of those players who knows how to hustle for the ball and provide efficient support for his team. Hopefully, Caruso remains the same now about to suit up for the Oklahoma City Thunder. As for DeRozan, hopefully, he gets along with his new teammate Josh Giddey.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2023-24 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
24.0	4.3	5.3	0.6	1.1

2023-24 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
24.0	4.3	5.3	0.6	1.1

DeMar DeRozan news

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